London Calling - Part One
by Morbius
Summary: A chilling tale of Spike and Jet's hunt for a cold blooded killer...


This is the first part to my first attampt at a Cowboy Bebop fan fiction. It's set near the start of the series before Spike and Jet meet the rest of the gang.  
  
  
  
  
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Spike struggled to light his cigarette, huddled under an awning away from the pouring rain. The city of London had seen better days, that was for sure. Mass flooding had driven parts of the city into the sea while raging storms left many of the buildings in ruins. The one thing that hadn't changed over the years was the dense, dreary fog and the unrelenting rain that left Spike drenched to the bone.  
  
Spike finally gave up on the cigarette, which was already soaked from the moisture in the air, and once again headed out into the streets. It had been hours since he had begun interviewing the few people that still resided in this city about the latest bounty he was after and he still had no solid leads. It seemed the inhabitants of this city minded their own business. Many of them were probably living here for the same reasons as the bounty. Bounty hunters like Spike were not very welcome here and he felt their cold glances everywhere he went.  
  
But Spike also got the feeling that some of the people were afraid to talk about the man he was after and he really didn't blame them, considering the crimes that the police had attributed to him. Liam Garretty was not what you would call your common criminal. He belonged to a special category of psychotics and sociopaths known for some of the sickest and most depraved acts of carnality.   
  
The first of the crimes he was wanted for occurred three years ago when a group of hikers happened upon a cloistered monastery and saw what appeared to be the charred remains of dozens of monks. They had all been tied to stakes and burnt alive. But this was nothing compared to the horrors they found inside. The remaining monks were discovered kneeling in the pews of the chapel with their hands clasped together in prayer. But upon inspection they found that each one of their eyes had been torn out and their mouths sewn shut. They appeared to have been dead for several days.  
  
The police first believed the crime was committed by some anti-religious or satanic group but tests later revealed that there was only one other set of fingerprints in the monastery that didn't belong to any of the monks. Another piece of evidence gave further proof to the idea of the lone killer. Upon the pulpit of the chapel rested a Bible that was open to the book of Genesis. One passage alone stood out, highlighted in blood. It read: "Then God saw all he had made and it was very good".  
  
More massacres occurred in the years following the first, each as intricate and horrifying as the rest. A fishing ship on Ganymede found adrift, the crew discovered in the hold, hung from hooks and skinned alive. A group of mountaineers discovered with their heads on stakes at the peak of the mountain, their bodies nowhere to be found. Six more crimes followed, each increasingly more risky then the next as they moved from less remote areas and into more public places. It appeared that Garretty was toying with the authorities, daring them to come after him. Some might have called the crimes artistic were it not for the brutality of them. But so far the police have been unable to get any leads on the killer's motives or his next target. Nor could they find any reason why one man was able to subdue and kill such large groups of people with apparent ease.  
  
Fortunately for Spike and Jet, they were able to track down some evidence through a purchase made by one of the killer's aliases. Someone from the London area had bought a large supply of a chemical that was primarily used to paralyse livestock before they were slaughtered. It was preferred among other chemicals because of its ability to be completely absorbed by the body leaving no trace of its use. This would explain how the Garretty was able to subdue his victims so effortlessly. But unfortunately, Garretty had never been known to stay in one place for very long so they had to move quickly if they wanted to catch him in time. For all they knew, he could already be gone.  
  
Spike's communicator began to suddenly ring as he was about to enter the next pub to interview more people.  
  
"What's up?" he yelled through the torrent of rain.  
  
"I've found some information on the address of our man," Jet said. "It appears that the purchase was made from an old, abandoned fish cannery on the west-side of town."  
  
"Send the address to the Swordfish, I'm on my way." Spike shouted as he started to walk back towards his ship.  
  
"Oi Spike, wait! Don't go running into this unprep-" Spike turned off the communicator and quickened his pace down the street.  
  
*****  
Stay tuned for the chilling conclusion. 


End file.
